Google’s June 2025 Core Algorithm Update is officially underway, and it’s already shaking things up across search results. Anyone managing a website or involved in SEO should be paying close attention. This isn’t just a minor tweak—it’s a broad core update, and it comes with significant implications for rankings, traffic, and content strategies.
The rollout began on June 30th and is expected to take up to three weeks to complete. As with previous updates, volatility across the search engine results pages (SERPs) is already being reported. This is the second core update of 2025, following the March rollout, and early signs suggest that it’s quite different in focus and execution.
Massive Volatility Across Industries
Early indicators from SEO communities, analytics tools, and forums suggest that websites across industries—especially news publishers, e-commerce stores, and affiliate marketers—are already experiencing substantial traffic shifts.
Reports have surfaced showing:
Pages that were previously ranking on page 1 dropping to page 2 with no changes made.
A 33% drop in U.S. traffic for some global sites.
Chaos in SEO forums as site owners scramble to figure out what changed.
This level of volatility is typical during core updates, as Google recalibrates its ranking systems. However, this time, it seems Google started testing or rolling out some of these changes even before the official announcement—a trend observed in earlier updates as well.
Focus Shift: From Entire Domains to Individual Pages
Unlike the March 2025 update, which heavily penalized entire websites for poor trust signals, outdated design, or spammy architecture, the June update appears to be targeting specific pages and posts.
Key observations include:
Low-value pages being dropped or de-indexed altogether.
Thin content—short, shallow, or unhelpful posts—being hit hard.
Pages with little to no internal linking losing visibility.
AI-generated content without human review or editing facing increased scrutiny.
This shift means that even strong domains aren’t safe. Pages that don’t deliver clear value may drop in rankings, regardless of the domain’s authority.
User-Generated Content on the Rise
User-generated content is getting a noticeable boost. Platforms like Reddit have reportedly gained over 160 million new monthly visitors in just 10 days leading up to the update. Additionally, Instagram recently notified creators that their photos and videos will surface more in Google search—a strong signal that Google is expanding the visibility of community-driven, authentic content.
This trend reinforces Google’s shift toward “real experience” and user-first writing. Posts that demonstrate genuine topical authority and first-hand insights are being prioritized over generic, mass-produced content.
For more on how major tech announcements are influencing SEO strategies, check out Google IO 2025: Game-Changing Updates for Marketers.
The AI Content Crackdown
Another major focus of this update is content that is clearly AI-generated without human oversight. According to Google’s updated quality guidelines, unedited AI-generated content can be rated as lowest quality by human evaluators.
Webmasters relying solely on tools to pump out blog posts without checking for accuracy, clarity, or originality are now at risk. This update makes it clear: Google is doubling down on usefulness and authenticity.
Thin and Outdated Content Getting De-Indexed
Many SEO professionals have reported seeing dozens or even hundreds of outdated or thin pages completely removed from Google’s index. These pages weren’t necessarily spam—they were just under-optimized, lacked internal linking, or offered little value to users.
This underlines the importance of:
Regular content audits to find underperforming or outdated posts.
Strengthening internal linking to help Google understand a site's content structure.
Updating content with fresh stats, examples, and relevance to user intent.
Experience, Authority, and Brand Signals Matter More
Google’s algorithm is evolving beyond just backlinks and keywords. This update places a heavier emphasis on:
Real-world experience reflected in the content.
Topical authority, especially within niche domains.
Brand signals such as branded search volume and brand mentions across the web.
This shift encourages website owners to behave more like real businesses:
Establish recognizable branding.
Create content based on subject-matter expertise.
Earn trust through consistency and value, not just search tricks.
How to Check If a Site Was Impacted
To evaluate whether this update affected a website, here’s what to do:
Check Google Analytics 4 for traffic dips starting around July 1st.
Review Google Search Console data for drops in impressions or clicks.
Track targeted keywords and especially branded keywords to monitor visibility shifts.
Watch for de-indexed pages or lower rankings on key landing pages.
Identifying patterns early can help guide a recovery strategy or further optimization.
Why Updates Are Becoming More Frequent?
In 2024, Google rolled out five core updates—compared to three in 2023. This increasing frequency shows a trend of faster, more aggressive updates aimed at improving search quality, combatting low-value AI content, and discouraging manipulative SEO tactics.
The June 2025 update continues this trajectory. Website owners and marketers can expect this trend to continue throughout the year.